The Sixteen Hundreds
by Caitlin-Chan
Summary: Spat the Demon Ham jumps out of a book (how does he do that!) that Mike (Bad Ham Dictator) was reading about the sixteen hundreds. Hamtaro & Bijou are watching and try to stop them from taking the evil hamsters back into the past...way into the past...
1. Hamtaro's New Interest

At the Bad Hams Place...  
  
Mike was seated at a table in his personal library. He was searching through books of history and trying to find the sixteen hundreds. "It was the time of kings and queens," Stella told him previously. Yes, Mike thought. If only I lived then, it would be so easy to take over the world...  
  
With Hamtaro...  
  
Hamtaro made it up the drainpipe into Laura's bedroom. It had been a long day at the clubhouse because of the Spring Cleaning the Ham-Hams did every year. He waited a few minutes, and Laura came into the bedroom. "Hamtaro," she stated once she entered the room, "Kana and I found this great book that's got the time of the kings and queens in it!"  
Kana entered the room after Laura. She had Oxnard with her. "I've just gotta look through this book," Kana told Laura. "I know," Laura replied. "It just sounds so cool!"  
Laura and Kana peered and read through the book over and over again. Hamtaro and Oxnard were listening to the two girls as they read. "This is boring," Oxnard muttered. "I think it's interesting," Hamtaro declared. "What's so special about it anyways, Hamtaro?" he questioned. "Uh...," Hamtaro mumbled. "It's so special because...it's the past!" "What's so great about the past?" Oxnard queried. "A lot of things, Oxnard!" Hamtaro exclaimed. "Like, uh...like the ancient Egyptians! They're interesting because they're different, right, Oxnard?"  
Oxnard thought a minute and remarked, "You know, after you saying that, this sixteens stuff is actually pretty interesting." "Actually," Hamtaro replied, "it's the sixteen hundreds." Oxnard shrugged it off as he laid back. Hamtaro sprawled on the floor beside Oxnard.  
Hamtaro yawned and thought, What if Bijou was a princess and I was a prince? You know, some of this is getting to be kinda romantic... Hamtaro yawned again and fell into a deep sleep. 


	2. Oxnard Tells the HamHams About Hamtaro's...

Before Hamtaro knew it, it was morning again. Laura had already gone to school, and he hadn't even heard the alarm clock. Hamtaro jumped out of his cage and slid down the drainpipe. He flew in the air and expected to land on Brandy, but he wasn't there. "Brandy!" Hamtaro yelled as he landed on his rump. Hamtaro looked around, and Brandy was nowhere to be found.  
"Brandy!" Hamtaro called again. Suddenly, Brandy ran to Hamtaro. "Woof woof!" he barked. Hamtaro asked, "Do you want to be my horse, Brandy?" Brandy looked at Hamtaro in confusion. "Brandy!" Hamtaro shouted. "I'm a prince! A prince needs a horse!" He looked at Hamtaro and sighed. "Good Brandy," Hamtaro said as he jumped onto Brandy's back. "To the clubhouse!"  
  
At the clubhouse...  
  
Oxnard entered the clubhouse as hastily as he could. "Guys!" Oxnard shouted to the Ham-Hams that were at the clubhouse, which were Boss, Caitlin, Jingle, Sandy, Maxwell, Howdy, Dexter, Pashmina, Penelope, and Bijou. "Hamtaro is now into the sixteens stuff!" "Wow!" all the girls shouted. "He's, like," Sandy questioned, "into the teen fashions now? Way cool! I'll have to see his new duds!" "Uh," Oxnard mumbled, "that's not quite right."  
Maxwell was reading when he thought up what Oxnard meant. "Does the sixteen hundreds sound familar to you?" he inquired. "Yeah! That's what I mean!" Oxnard replied. "What are, you know?" Boss asked. "The sixteen hundreds?" Maxwell questioned. "Yeah," Boss replied.  
"The sixteen hundreds is the time of kings and queens," Maxwell answered proudly. "And, unfortunately, the time of evil sorcerers, too." "Kana never said anything about sorcerers," Oxnard remarked. "They sound scary, no?" Bijou said. "Ookyoo," Penelope responded.  
All of the Ham-Hams went outside to look for signs of Hamtaro. "I betcha he's at my store right now trying to find a costume," Howdy stated. "Heh heh heh, might as well dress the same for Halloween! Har har har!" "Howdy," Dexter retorted, "that's one of the most stupidest jokes I've ever heard from you."  
All of a sudden, the Ham-Hams saw Brandy walking towards the clubhouse. "Why is Brandy coming to the clubhouse?" Pashmina questioned. They looked at Brandy again and realized that Brandy had a piece of red cloth covering his back. On Brandy's back was Hamtaro. "Hamtaro?" Boss questioned. "What are you wearing?!" 


	3. Hamtaro Pretends to be a Prince

Hamtaro jumped off of Brandy with a cape and a crown atop of his head. He had a plastic sword strapped to his waist, too. "I'm a prince!" he replied. "And I want to marry your daughter!" Boss blushed and said, "And who am I?" "You're the king!" Hamtaro remarked. "Oh," Boss replied in haste, "of course, I am! But who's the queen?" "Caitlin!" Hamtaro answered. "And who's the princess?" Bijou questioned. "You!" Hamtaro replied.  
Bijou blushed mildly as she declared, "Of course, I will be your princess." "Maxwell," Hamtaro said, "you're the pastor. Howdy and Dexter, you're the guards of the king and queen. Jingle will be...the royal knight. Pashmina, you and Penelope can be the maids. Sandy, you be..." "The evil sorcerer!" Sandy shouted. "Yeah!" the Ham-Hams shouted.  
As soon as the Ham-Hams got their scene together outside, they started playing. "Your highness," Howdy and Dexter said to Boss. "Prince Hamtaro wishes to see you." "Of course," Boss replied. "Let him in," Caitlin remarked. Howdy and Dexter brought Hamtaro to Boss and Caitlin. "King Boss and Queen Caitlin," Hamtaro said, "I wish to marry your daughter. Do you object?"  
Boss and Caitlin thought. "Uh, nope," Boss replied immediately. "No, no, no!" Hamtaro shouted. "You have to say, 'I have to ask Princess Bijou if she loves you'!" "Oops, sorry," Boss replied. "Hey, Hamtaro, how 'bout we get back to this after a few days? I don't get it, dern it." Hamtaro sighed and muttered, "I guess so..."  
Hamtaro stayed outside as the rest of the Ham-Hams went back into the clubhouse. Bijou was the only other Ham-Ham that stayed outside. "Hamtaro," she said. "I dunno if anyone even understands my new interest, Bijou," he remarked. "I understand it, Prince Hamtaro," Bijou replied. Hamtaro smiled and said, "I just wish everyone would understand the sixteen hundreds." "You know what, Hamtaro?" Bijou questioned. "If we snuck into Mike's library, he might have something. We've done it before."  
Hamtaro thought a minute and remarked, "I guess we could sneak into this library of Mike's. But what about Maxwell's?" "Mike's is bigger and has literally everything," she answered. Hamtaro nodded in agreement and stated, "Let's go."  
  
With Mike...  
  
Mike flipped through a book of history. "There's nothing about this sixteen hundreds thing," he muttered. When he said that, Stella came into the library. "Any luck?" she asked. Mike shook his head. "It just doesn't seem to be in this library," he said. "It's like the sixteen hundreds weren't important or something." 


	4. Exploring Mike's Library

With Hamtaro and Bijou...  
  
Hamtaro and Bijou walked together towards the Bad Hams Place. "It seems weird to go inside alone, no?" Bijou questioned. "What do you mean by alone?" Hamtaro asked. "You know," she replied, "Caitlin is always with us because she knows the place like her fur pattern."  
Hamtaro nodded in agreement. Before their conversation was over, the couple was in front of the Bad Hams Place. "Ready, Bijou?" Hamtaro inquired. "Of course," she rejoined. Hamtaro and Bijou climbed the tree and opened the hatch door. He helped her through the doorway as Hamtaro and Bijou entered the Bad Hams Place together.  
As soon as Bijou got into the Bad Hams Place, Hamtaro held Bijou's paw as the couple searched for the library. "Hopefully none of those awful Bad Hams see us in here," Bijou said as she drew close to Hamtaro's side. "Don't worry, Bijou," he replied. "They won't."  
After a few minutes of searching, Bijou said, "There it is!" Hamtaro looked to where Bijou was pointing and opened the door. The library was empty, but he felt someone was watching them. Hamtaro entered the library first, then Bijou came into the library. "It feels like someone's watching us, Hamtaro," she acknowledged. "Just ignore it," Hamtaro responded. "Just look for a book about the sixteen hundreds."  
Bijou nodded and looked around the library for any books. When she came to the table that Mike used previously, Bijou looked at the books' titles. Some of the titles were marked "History," but some were marked "The Sixteen Hundreds." "Hamtaro!" Bijou shouted. "There's books on this table!"  
Hamtaro came to the table and said, "OK, Bijou, let's look." He and Bijou looked through numerous books and found out lots about the sixteen hundreds' kings and queens and their ways. "I wonder why he's got so many books on this table about the sixteen hundreds," Hamtaro mumbled. "Doesn't he have enough?"  
At that moment, Hamtaro and Bijou both heard the door open. "I just can't find the right thing," Mike said. "Well," Stella remarked, "I guess you're gonna have to look harder." "I've looked harder and harder," Mike retorted. "Now what can I do about that?"  
Hamtaro and Bijou raced behind a bookcase and tried to stay still. Bijou hugged Hamtaro tighter than a snake suffocating its prey. He tried to wrench from her grip, but Bijou's grip became tighter. "Don't," she whispered.  
Mike began to talk again once he reached the table. "It says everything about the kings, queens, and castles," he conversed, "but it says nothing about the evil sorcerers in the sixteen hundreds!"  
Hamtaro whispered to Bijou, "So that's what he wants! I thought of that, but I didn't think he'd want to know anything about that." "But why evil sorcerers?" Bijou questioned. "That's what I don't know," he remarked.  
Stella looked through the bookcases and stated, "Are you sure you have a book on this stuff?" "I'm sure, Stella," Mike retorted. "I had a book about sorcerers a few weeks ago..." Stella shrugged and said, "What's it called?" "'The Evil Sorcerers of the Sixteen Hundreds' is it's title," Mike replied. "First of all," she returned, "it's going to be in the history stuff, which is on the other side of this dern bookcase..."  
Bijou gasped and whispered to Hamtaro, "She's coming to this side of the bookcase, Hamtaro!" Hamtaro jumped and said, "Let's make a run for it!" She held onto Hamtaro and said, "No!" Bijou thought quickly and saw a space in the bookcase. Hamtaro saw it, too, and the couple squeezed quickly in the space.  
Stella came around the bookcase and said, "What number would it be?" "I don't know," Mike retorted as he looked at the bookcase. "Ah! There it is!" He took it off of the shelf and glanced at it. "Yep," Mike declared finally. When he said that, Stella turned around and said, "I'm going now." 


	5. Spat the Demon Ham

Mike watched Stella as she left. He set the book down on the table in his library and opened it hastily. Mike read aloud to himself, yet Hamtaro and Bijou were listening. "Some of these characters are histerical," Hamtaro whispered to Bijou. "Agree," she replied.  
Mike finally stopped reading audibly. (OK, you might know the GBA game of Hamtaro, but if you don't, just go with the flow!) He looked it over and again. "This guy's name is...Spat?" Mike asked himself. "Why, yes..." a voice said.  
When he heard the voice, Mike jumped and yelled, "Who are you?" He looked toward the book and realized that a hamster with a devil costume with black wings was coming up from the book. Hamtaro and Bijou looked from behind the bookcase at the hamster. "He must've come from the book, Hamtaro," Bijou told him.  
Mike demanded, "Who are you?" The hamster looked toward him and said, "Do you like to fight a lot verbally?" "Why, yes, I do," Mike spat. "Then you might like my name," he replied. "I, and I hope you already know, am Spat, the evil sorcerer of the sixteen hundreds. I can go into any time era and do any evil I want. I can never die if I keep doing this. But, of course, I come from the underworld." "Really?" Mike questioned. "Uh," Spat remarked, "no. But I found out the year I die is 3007. So once the present reaches that year, I will die because the past is swallowed up. And, no, I just travel time. I'm not from the underworld. I just like the costume, OK?"  
Hamtaro turned to Bijou and said, "I think we ought to keep a look out on this guy." "What if he takes Mike to when you or Boss was a kid...?" Bijou questioned. "Oh goodness, that's not possible!" Hamtaro said under his breath. "For once, if he changed my past, the Ham- Hams...changed my owner...a whole different country..."  
Mike asked, "Uh, are you a sorcerer of just the sixteen hundreds?" "No," Spat replied, "but I like that era of time because I try and try to become king." "Do you think you could, you know," Mike questioned, "...take a few hamsters back to the sixteen hundreds and make them king and queen? And I overthrow them? And I tell you who's who?" Spat nodded. "I can do that. I can bring them from the present, put them in the past, and put them back in the present. And I can always erase the changes I've created." "What do you go against?" Mike asked. "I go against love," he rejoined. "I despise it. Do you, too?" "Uh, I have a girlfriend, but other than hers and mine, I hate the other loves in the world," Mike answered.  
Hamtaro and Bijou thought of what Mike asked previously. "What if he takes us back and overthrows the king?" Bijou inquired nervously. "We've got to stop him!" Hamtaro shouted.  
When Hamtaro shouted, Mike knew there was someone inside the library. "Come out!" he demanded. Hamtaro looked at Bijou and she looked at him. "What do we do?" Bijou asked. He shuddered at the thought and stepped out from behind the bookcase. "I'm here," Hamtaro replied bravely. Mike grinned his toothy, eternal grin and remarked, "And why are you here? Are you, too, interested in the sixteen hundreds?" Bijou shrunk behind Hamtaro and held his paw. "Yes, we are," Hamtaro said even bolder.  
Hamtaro said, "What are you going to do? You can't go back to when Boss or I was a kid and do that!" Mike thought a minute and retorted, "You know, you gave me an idea. But not today. To the sixteen hundreds, Spat! Take me, those two, Stella, the Bad Hams, Boss, and the Ham-Hams!" With that, everything turned black. 


	6. The HamHam Kingdom

In the sixteen hundreds at the Ham-Ham Kingdom...  
  
The sun was just rising above the horizon. When the sun was seen, the guards of the king, Sandy, Stan, Panda, and Cappy resumed their duty. "Bro," Sandy said to Stan, "Snoozer's so lucky he can sleep while on duty." Sandy and Stan looked to where Snoozer laid asleep in front of the gate of the castle. "You have a point," Panda remarked. "Yup," Cappy replied.  
Queen Caitlin woke up in bed. "Oh, I don't want to get up..." she mumbled and rolled over so the light from the window didn't get in her eyes. When she remembered something important, Queen Caitlin shot up in bed. "Your Highness! Wake up!" she shouted. "Prince Hamtaro is coming today! Uh, Boss?" King Boss rolled over and said, "But, honey, I don't want to get up today. I'm in the past, and in the present, I wasn't married to you, and now I am. Very ironic. And I'm a king instead of a leader."  
Queen Caitlin sighed, "Your Highness, our daughter, Princess Bijou, will be seeing Prince Hamtaro today." King Boss shot up. "Now, did you say that I have a daughter, and she's Bijou?" he questioned. When he asked, Dexter came to the door. He bowed and said, "Your Highness, what would you fancy for breakfast this morning?" Howdy came to Dexter's side and bowed, too. "Yes, King, we're still your servants," he acknowledged.  
The king looked at the two and sighed. "I wished you still weren't, but there's no one else to take your place," King Boss replied. "And I forget what the heck fancy means, anyways." "Heck?" Howdy and Dexter questioned in unison. "Oh yeah, this is the sixteen hundreds," he mumbled. "Just get me a waffle." "Heke?" Howdy asked. "You know," King Boss remarked, "Flour, mix, and pop it in the oven." "What's 'the oven'?" Dexter inquired. "The thing with the fire that you cook stuff in!" King Boss returned. "That's the fireplace, My Lord," Dexter replied and the two servants headed toward the kitchen.  
King Boss looked at Queen Caitlin and said, "Some of the Hams these days..." "Actually, what is an oven?" she asked. The king of the Ham-Ham Kingdom sighed and thought a minute. "Uh, what exactly should I wear today?" he asked his wife. Queen Caitlin glanced at him and acknowledged, "Wear your high tea clothes." "I don't like tea, though," King Boss said. "Really? Then why'd you drink four cups of tea last night?" she asked. King Boss sighed and said, "And why do we, hamsters, wear undershirts and undershorts?" "That is a question I cannot and shall not answer," Queen Caitlin replied. 


	7. The Lovely Princess Bijou

Meanwhile, Princess Bijou was just waking up. "Oh, Father told me last night I was going to meet a Prince Hamtaro today at noon," she reminded herself. "What's my nicest gown?"  
Princess Bijou walked over to her closet and opened the door. Suddenly, there was a gentle knock on the door. "Come in," Princess Bijou answered. The door opened and the two maids, Pashmina and Penelope, entered. "I shall help you pick out a nice dress for Prince Hamtaro," Pashmina said. "Ookyoo!" Penelope remarked. "Thank you, Pashmina," Bijou thanked.  
Pashmina walked over to Princess Bijou's closet and said, "How about this pretty gown?" She held the gown up. It was a blue dress with lace and ribbons. It expanded outward and had many layers underneath the actual dress. "It's perfect, no?" Princess Bijou said. Pashmina and Penelope nodded in unison.  
Pashmina and Penelope helped Princess Bijou out of her night clothes and into the gown. After the gown was perfect and felt good, Pashmina started to brush Princess Bijou's hair. She made her pigtails and put a blue ribbon around it. "Do you like it, Princess Bijou?" Pashmina asked. "`Oui," Princess Bijou answered.  
After that, Penelope found Princess Bijou's evening gloves and slipped them on her paw. She then fitted a ring with a sapphire in the middle with diamonds around it on Princess Bijou's ring finger. "Ookwee," Penelope said afterward.  
Meantime, Howdy and Dexter were still trying to figure out what King Boss meant by 'a waffle.' "I have no idea what the king meant by a waffle," Howdy acknowledged. "He only said, 'Flour, mix, and pop it in the oven.' And what does pop mean, anyways, Dexter?" Dexter shrugged in reply. "Let's make him what we made him yesterday for breakfast," he remarked. "But he-" Howdy started but decided to keep his mouth shut. "Let us," he remarked finally.  
King Boss was still trying to decide what to wear. "I've told you already," Queen Caitlin retorted when he asked her what to put on. When he finally took what the queen gave him to wear, he shouted, "I need those two servants!"  
Queen Caitlin sighed and walked outside the bedroom door. When Pashmina and Penelope passed by, she told them, "Can you get Sir Howdy and Sir Dexter for the king?" "Yes, Queen Caitlin," Pashmina replied and went to get the two servants.  
As soon as Pashmina left, Howdy and Dexter were there. "Yes, Your Majesty?" Howdy questioned. "Your Highness needs help with putting on his clothes," Queen Caitlin answered. The two sighed and walked into the bedroom.  
  
With Prince Hamtaro...  
  
Prince Hamtaro looked for his best looking clothes as his mother, Pepper, entered his bedroom. "Mother, I can't find anything that would please the king," he worried. "Hamtaro," Pepper said, "you're father thinks you're a worry wart. And I do, too. But don't let that get you down. If the princess accepts it, the king shall, too. But if Princess Bijou rejects it, King Boss shan't accept it either. But I don't think they'll say anything about it."  
Sir Oxnard entered the bedroom. "What are you two talking about?" he asked. "Our son can't find any linens to put on to go to the Ham-Ham Kingdom," Pepper replied. "I've been waiting for the moment to give you this since as long as I can remember," Sir Oxnard said as he handed Prince Hamtaro a package. Prince Hamtaro opened it and found the nicest linens he could ask for. He held the blue shirt up and treasured its softness. The pants were perfect for his personality and were black. A red cape that was worn comfortably was in the package, too.  
Prince Hamtaro hugged his father and mother and remarked, "Thank you both. I still will cherish you when I'm married." Sir Oxnard and Pepper grinned at each other as their son put on his new clothing. "I cherish it," Prince Hamtaro acknowledged. 


	8. A Visitor

At the Ham-Ham Kingdom...  
  
Princess Bijou walked into the breakfast hall. The servants were preparing the table for her as she sat down. She was served mutton for breakfast. When Princess Bijou finally finished eating, the queen came into the breakfast hall. "That father of yours," Queen Caitlin griped. "He has to have Howdy and Dexter do everything for him, even put his clothes on!" "Really, Mother?" Princess Bijou questioned. "Of course!" she replied.  
After a few more minutes, King Boss came into the breakfast hall. "I'm not late, am I? If I am, blame those servants," he remarked. Princess Bijou got up from the table and curtsied. "Your Highness," she said. The king was clothed in the finest clothing that he had. His yellow shirt was made with the finest linen and so were his black pants. His crown had a green stripe and a red cresent moon on it in jewels (What a coincidence!). On every finger was a bejeweled ring, mainly gifts from Queen Caitlin or his servants. He had a cape that was lined with a cow pattern with the buckle bejewled, too. The king's sword was strapped to his waist.  
Queen Caitlin spoke up. "What did I tell you, Your Highness? You look great," she remarked. King Boss blushed and mumbled, "Well, Prince Hamtaro is visiting, so..."  
Like out of the blue, Dexter appeared beside King Boss. "King Boss," he said, out of breath, "there is a visitor." "And whom is it?" King Boss inquired. "Thy is unknown but says it's important that they talk to thee," the servant breathlessly replied.  
King Boss nodded. "What did thy look like?" he queried. "Only a shadow," Dexter remarked hastily. "Thank you," King Boss thanked. "Where are they?" "Thy are waiting for thou to sit upon the throne to talk to is what they say," Dexter replied. He nodded and said, "Let them in."  
King Boss followed his servant into the throne room. "Let them in," is what the king said once he was upon the throne. Dexter nodded and led the visitors in. King Boss glanced at them and turned pale immediately. "Lord Mike and Lady Stella." 


	9. Lord Mike and Lady Stella

Lord Mike and Lady Stella entered the throne room. Lord Mike was wearing a fine shirt and shorts that were both black. Lady Stella wore a dress of fine silk that was purple. "I'll work on my curtsy," Lord Mike retorted. King Boss glared and said, "Kings still have authority over lords around here. All you do is collect tax, and that's why you have your titles. And you address the king." "You owe taxes," Lady Stella shouted. "Shh, Stella, that's my role," Lord Mike fussed. "I paid them to the correct hamsters, no thank you," King Boss returned sharply. "What about your so-called daughter, Your Highness?" Lady Stella questioned. The king growled at them. "You never call Bijou unaccurately named," King Boss growled. He drew his sword and said, "Get out."  
Lord Mike ignored the request. "Isn't she meeting that prince?" he inquired. At that moment of all other moments, Princess Bijou entered the throne room. "Oh my," she said. "Is there to be a sword duel?"  
King Boss withdrew his sword and replied, "No, it is not meant to be a sword fight." Lord Mike looked toward the princess and retorted, "So, this is what you stand up for?" Princess Bijou blushed violently and walked toward him. "What are you talking about, whoever you are!" she demanded. "I, if you do not know, am Lord Mike," he returned. Princess Bijou retreated and hugged the king's arm. "Father," she whispered as she pressed her face into his cape, "is this your foe that you talk about?" King Boss nodded and drew out his sword again. "Get out, now," was what he said.  
Lord Mike only grinned a toothy, eternal grin. "You're daughter's so cute when she's scared," he retorted. With that remark, King Boss yelled, "Guards! Take Bijou!"  
Princess Bijou hugged his arm tighter. "Don't," was all she said. Lord Mike spat, "You owe me still. You haven't paid back." "Why shall I?" King Boss returned harshly. "A few years ago," Lord Mike acknowledged, "I lent you a horse. Then when it died, I lent you money to pay off your taxes, but it was only a few pounds. Then when that dolt, Howdy, was sick and couldn't be your servant, I lent one of mine..."  
Lord Mike went on and on about favors as far back as since the two were kids. "And," he concluded, "you never repaid me. So, I think, before your so-called daughter gets married, you should give me the Ham-Ham Kingdom." 


	10. Princess Bijou Defends the Kingdom

With that statement, Princess Bijou yelled, "You can't have it! It's mine! And Father's! Who gave you the right to just come here and demand it!" She got in his face and shouted, "And you're condemned of evil! You evil-" Before Princess Bijou had finished, Lord Mike had struck her across the face and pushed her onto the floor. "There are certain limits for that behavior, young lady!" he scolded. But before he went on scolding her even more, the guards had taken Lord Mike and Lady Stella out of the Ham-Ham Kingdom.  
After the two were banished from the room, King Boss ran to his daughter. "Bijou? Where did he hit you?" he questioned. Princess Bijou looked up with tears in her eyes and sniffled, "He struck me on the cheek and pushed me down."  
At that moment, Queen Caitlin came into the throne room. "What happened?" she panicked. "I heard that Lord Mike was in the throne room speaking to you, and then I heard Bijou scream at him!" "Lord Mike hit her because she was standing up for the Ham-Ham Kingdom," King Boss acknowledged. He turned back toward Princess Bijou and held her paw. "That was very brave of you, Bijou. I'm proud of you."  
Princess Bijou looked at King Boss. "Really?" she sniffled through her tears. Queen Caitlin nodded in agreement. King Boss helped her up to her feet again. Immediately Pashmina and Penelope came rushing into the room. "The gown is fine still," Pashmina said, relieved. "It is two hours till twelve." "Very well, Pashmina," King Boss replied. "In two hours, Princess Bijou will see the Ham-Ham of her dreams. There's no more selfless hamster in the kingdom than him. I hope you fall in love with Prince Hamtaro."  
Princess Bijou turned around and saw the guards, Sandy, Stan, Panda, and Cappy, coming towards them. "They're still at the gates of the Ham-Ham Kingdom, Your Highness," Panda acknowledged. "What shall we do, My Lord?" Stan asked. "Sir Jingle is our most powerful knight. Shall or shan't thyself send a knight to chase them off?" 


	11. The Royal Knight, Jingle

Sir Jingle came into the room. He had shining armor that was like a mirror. His sword was drawn out of the sword cane, but his mask was not on. Sir Jingle had not his guitar with him. "Your Highness," he said and bowed to King Boss. "I have heard of Lord Mike and Lady Stella at the gates and they do not wish to move. Is that correct?" King Boss nodded and demanded, "Get them out of the kingdom."  
Sir Jingle nodded and rushed out of the room. He took back his sword as he made it to the gate. The drawbridge was withdrawn. "Snoozer, the bridge watcher hamster thingy person," Sir Jingle said, unsure of what Snoozer was called. "Guard...," Snoozer sleep talked. "I wish to go out the gate," Sir Jingle desired. Snoozer got up, still asleep, and opened the gate.  
"Thank you, Snoozer," Sir Jingle thanked and walked through the gate. The moat that surrounded the castle was what the gate had to go over. Lord Mike and Lady Stella were just getting in their horse carriage when they saw Sir Jingle. Lady Stella turned toward him and said, "The king sent his little knight. How entertaining."  
Sir Jingle blushed violently and replied, "My Lord has sent me to get rid of you. Go now and I shan't withdraw my sword." Lord Mike glanced back at him and retorted, "Escuse me, but we were going!" Sir Jingle took his sword from his sword cane on his waist and shouted, "Be gone with you! Now! The king's orders!"  
Lord Mike and Lady Stella turned back toward their horse carriage and got in. "We'll still get paid back for our favors!" Lady Stella shouted. "You better watch out!" Sir Jingle watched as the carriage went down the dirt path.  
Until the horse carriage was out of sight, Sir Jingle did not intend to move. Only when he saw no sign of the two, he went back into the kingdom. Sir Jingle returned to the throne room where Queen Caitlin was speaking to King Boss. "I just don't know, My Lord," she said. "Don't know about what, Caitlin?" he questioned. "I just don't know about those two," Queen Caitlin replied.  
When Sir Jingle came into the room, the king and queen's conversation ceased. "What happened, Sir Jingle?" King Boss inquired. "Lord Mike and Lady Stella have left the kingdom reluctantly," he remarked. "No duel?" Queen Caitlin queried. Sir Jingle shook his head. "Good," she replied.  
Sir Jingle then left the room. Queen Caitlin said, "Boss, when are you going to give Princess Bijou your gift?" "I guess right now," King Boss replied. He turned around and went to his and Queen Caitlin's bedroom. King Boss picked up a package and walked out of the bedroom.  
King Boss trudged to Princess Bijou's bedroom. He peered in and found her taking a nap. He tip-toed quietly in her room and tapped her shoulder. Princess Bijou slowly opened her eyes. "Yes, Your Highness?" she whispered gingerly. Princess Bijou sat upward as King Boss said, "Here's something for thou before you see Prince Hamtaro."  
Princess Bijou received the small package and slowly opened it. When it was opened, she gasped. "It's so beautiful," Princess Bijou said as she held a necklace up. It was a silver necklace bejeweled with sapphires and peridots. "I'm glad you cherish it," King Boss said as he hugged his daughter. Princess Bijou hugged the king and thanked, "Thank you, Father. I love it." 


	12. Lord Mike and Lady Stella Visit Spat Tow...

With Lord Mike and Lady Stella...  
  
Lord Mike looked out the window as the horse treaded down the dirt path to the house he and Lady Stella lived in. "My Lady Stella," Lord Mike said, "shall or shan't we visit the evil sorcerer to get paid for our favors?"  
Lady Stella glanced at him and replied, "There shan't be anything wrong with that." Lord Mike grinned grimly and remarked, "There isn't one as smart as thyself." She smiled slightly and said, "Tell the horseman that we are now destined to go to Spat Tower."  
Lord Mike nodded and told the horse driver the new destination. The carriage turned left and started down a new road. "Done," he said to Lady Stella once he came back to her. "Great," she replied.  
Once the horse carriage arrived in front of Spat Tower, Lord Mike got out of it. Lady Stella followed him out of the carriage. The two went to the gate. "Who goes there?" a voice said from behind the gate. "Lord Mike and Lady Stella," Lord Mike replied. "Of course!" the voice replied. "You shall come in."  
The gate lowered so the two could cross the moat. Lord Mike and Lady Stella crossed together and made it to the other side. A servant came up to the two and asked for their names. After the servant went to get the evil sorcerer Spat, Lord Mike and Lady Stella looked around. After about a minute, the servant came back. "Go into the hallway," he acknowledged them.  
Lord Mike and Lady Stella walked into the corridor and found Spat. "Lord Mike! Lady Stella!" he welcomed. "Yes, Spat," Lord Mike responded. Lady Stella curtsied and Lord Mike bowed. "Thank you both," Spat replied. "Spat," Lord Mike said, "I need to ask you of a favor." "Of course, confederate," Spat remarked.  
Lord Mike continued, "You know the king, right? King Boss? Well, a few years ago, he asked me of favors, and numerous they were. After awhile of thinking, I decided to wait until the day his daughter would meet a prince. And today is that day. What I asked for repay for my favors is the Ham-Ham Kingdom. That king just rejected my request, so I hit his daughter. Then they threw me out. I don't know what to do."  
Spat thought a minute before saying something. "Where are the Bad Hams? I need them for this plan," he questioned. "Back at our place," Lady Stella replied. "Get them and I will tell you the rest," Spat said and snapped his fingers. Lord Mike and Lady Stella turned back around and exited the tower. 


	13. Princess Bijou Wishes to Marry

(Continued from Chapter Twelve...)  
  
Boss and Hamtaro cautiosly turned around and saw the Bad Hams looking directly at them. It seemed the two were up against the wall. "What are you doing here?" Mike asked. "To save Mother's Day and Mrs. Montgomery," Hamtaro retorted. Mrs. Montgomery was behind the Bad Hams just staring. Boss signaled her to go back to the clubhouse (one hard sign in ASL), but she didn't want to go. Finally she ran out the door.  
The Bad Hams were about to go after Mrs. Montgomery, but Stella told them to stay. "It's not worth it," she told them. "We've already got our prey." Boss looked down at his shovel again. "Dern, I'm so used to carrying this thing around, I don't even realize I have it," he muttered. Boss brought it to his face and said, "Dear Mother gave this to me before...she died." "So that's how you got it," Mike retorted. Hamtaro nudged him and said, "You're not supposed to tell them anything, Boss!" "Oops," he remarked.  
Mike finally snapped his fingers and the Bad Hams jumped on top of the two. From under the weight, Hamtaro and Boss heard a war whoop. Soon, they felt the weight remove itself and they were seeing Caitlin, Oxnard, and Mrs. Montgomery. Boss helped Hamtaro up and the two ran. When they did, they knew that Mike and Stella were following them.  
When they got out of the back door, which was on top of the tree, Boss and Hamtaro stopped to rest. At which instant, Mike and Stella appeared. (Man, sometimes I think their psycos of something!) "Why the heck do you wanna ruin Mother's Day?" Boss inquired. "Why are you concerned?" Stella returned. "You don't even have a mom!"  
That remark enraged Boss. "Escuse me," he retorted angrily, "I do have Dear Mother! She's my first and only mother! If you're so good, why aren't you visiting yours?" Stella stopped dead. "I hated my mother," Mike returned sharply. "I don't even care."  
Stella turned around and started shaking violently. "Stella?" Mike queried and looked at her. "What's wrong, Stella?" Stella was forming tears in her eyes as she had a flashback.  
  
*FLASHBACK*  
  
"Be gone with you!" Stella's mother said as she threw her out of the house. "I never want to see your face again!"  
  
*END OF FLASHBACK* 


	14. Lord Mike, Lady Stella, the Bad Hams, an...

Howdy and Dexter came into the throne room. "A visitor about Princess Bijou, Your Highness," Dexter acknowledged. "Who is it?" King Boss questioned. "It's a group of beggars," Howdy replied. "Let them in," he rejoined.  
The two servants went out the room and came back with beggars. All of the beggars were dressed in black robes and had pale faces. The beggar in front of the group said, "We wish to see Princess Bijou before she meets her Prince Hamtaro." King Boss nodded and said, "Only five of thou at a time. My daughter shan't be crowded all at the same time."  
The leader beggar had four beside him in a jippy. "We are ready," the leader beggar remarked. King Boss beckoned them to follow him as they went through the castle. When they reached Princess Bijou's bedroom, King Boss knocked. "Visitors wish to see thee," he acknowledged. "Let them in," Princess Bijou answered.  
King Boss opened the door and allowed the five beggars in. "I'll be back in a minute," he said as he closed the door. The leader beggar bowed to Princess Bijou and said, "Such a pleasure to meet you, Princess Bijou. Are you excited about marrying Prince Hamtaro?"  
Princess Bijou blushed mildly. "Why, yes, I am," she replied. One of the beggars went over to the stained glass window in Princess Bijou's bedroom and touched it. "Don't touch it!" Princess Bijou shouted.  
At that moment, King Boss opened the door. "Is everything OK?" he questioned hastily as he entered the bedroom. "It's OK," the leader beggar replied as King Boss closed the door behind himself. He nodded and walked to the beggar at the window. The leader beggar trudged to the side of King Boss. The beggar looked underneath his black cloak and slowly began to draw something from a sort of cane... Princess Bijou screamed, "Father! He's got a sword!"  
At the moment Princess Bijou gave the alarm, the leader beggar pulled the sword out of all of the way. He seized King Boss's shoulder and put the sword to his neck. Princess Bijou screamed again when one of the beggars grasped her. A puff of smoke appeared. Once the smog cleared, there was someone else standing in the place of the leader beggar...  
Princess Bijou saw who it was and screamed, "Lord Mike!" Lord Mike pushed the sword to the surface of King Boss's neck. "Don't kill him!" the princess cried. She looked to who was holding her. "The evil sorcerer, Spat!" Princess Bijou screamed.  
Spat slapped her and shouted, "Do anything, Princess Bijou, and your father over there dies!" "Other way around," Lady Stella returned. Lord Mike said, "Withdraw your sword or any other attempt of attack and your daughter, the adorable princess, dies over there!"  
Princess Bijou cringed when she heard Lord Mike say the remark. "You know you wouldn't kill her," King Boss returned sharply. Lord Mike grinned and retorted, "Want to bet?" Lord Mike pushed the sword closer to King Boss's neck. "I want the kingdom. Now," Lord Mike demanded.  
Queen Caitlin raced to the door and stopped dead. "Boss?" she questioned. "The-they wa-want th-the k-k-kingdom," he barely uttered as the sword pressed harder on his throat. King Boss reached for his sword but considered what Lord Mike said previously. "Just grab that sword, and she's dead," Lord Mike pressured. "Both of them."  
The sword, King Boss thought. I shan't touch it, but what will happen to my daughter? If they do touch her or take her out of this room, I will draw my sword. He reached up and tried to push the sword away from his throat. Lord Mike pressed it even harder on his throat.  
Queen Caitlin watched in fear as the scene went on. King Boss reached for his sword but thought another minute. Lord Mike said, "You can touch it, but you either surrender it or draw it. But if you draw it, your family shall die."  
King Boss thought another minute. He touched his sword cane and seized it. He tore it off of his waist and threw it down. "Will you give me the kingdom?" Lord Mike questioned. "No," King Boss replied hastily.  
Lord Mike looked at Spat, then he glanced at Lady Stella. He then said, "OK, but you'll regret it." He kicked King Boss in the heel and demanded, "Start moving." King Boss looked back at him. "Start moving?" he questioned. Lord Mike nodded and said, "You won't be here to see your daughter's wedding, but you won't be dead. Besides, there won't be a wedding now."  
Princess Bijou's eyes grew large as Lord Mike said it. Queen Caitlin yelled, "You can't!" Lord Mike glanced toward her and retorted, "Of course I can! I'm a tax collector!" What was the rest of the beggars in the throne room were now all of the Bad Hams. The three royal family members grew pale as they entered Princess Bijou's bedroom.  
The Bad Hams walked toward Lord Mike. "If this king moves, kill his wife and daughter immediately," he ordered. "I don't care if it's even turning his head, his family will die." Queen Caitlin and Princess Bijou gasped as the Bad Hams walked out of the room. Queen Caitlin gasped, "The- they're...guards! Stop them!!!"  
The four guards heard the alarming cry in the room for the guards. Sandy, Stan, Panda, and Cappy raced to the bedroom, where they saw the Bad Hams. "Stop!" they shouted. The Bad Hams disregarded and start to rush. The four guards drew their swords and shouted, "Stop now! No harm will be done if you let go of the king!"  
Lady Stella drew her sword and returned, "Be quiet! We want this Ham- Ham Kingdom, and we want it now! But until we get it, we're keeping him!" Sandy and Stan tried to get the Bad Hams to halt, but they kept on moving.  
When the Bad Hams came to the drawbridge, all of the guards tried to stop them. The guards were numerous, and so were the knights. But only when they got outside, the guards and knights attacked. Lord Mike yelled, "Come near us and the royal family dies!"  
The guards and knights of the Ham-Ham Kingdom halted. Some tried to convince the rest to go forward, but none moved. Spat looked back at them and yelled, "You all are a bunch of lousy losers!" Lord Mike nodded in agreement as he pushed the king forward towards his carriage with his sword still against his neck. Lady Stella followed Lord Mike, and Spat came right behind them. King Boss was pushed forward and into the carriage without moving. If I move, he thought, my family will be dead.  
The guards and knights watched in fear of the future as the horse carriage started to move. The Bad Hams got on their individual horses and ran after the carriage. The guards and knights stared, unmoving. Murmurs went through them. Sandy looked at Stan, Panda, and Cappy, and they looked at her. She cringed and said, "What about Prince Hamtaro?"  
Once Sandy mentioned Prince Hamtaro, everyone of the guards and knights gasped. Snoozer laid undisturbed next to the drawbridge. "When he said we were a bunch of lousy losers," Panda remarked, "I think that's our loser." The guards nodded and watched the carriage and the Bad Hams on their horses move down the dirt trail and disappear. 


	15. Prince Hamtaro Arrives at the HamHam Kin...

With Prince Hamtaro...  
  
Prince Hamtaro looked at himself over. "I look great," he complimented himself. Sir Oxnard came into Prince Hamtaro's room. "Son," he said, "have I told you about growing up yet?"  
The prince looked at his father. "Wha?" Prince Hamtaro questioned. Pepper came into the room. "Oxnard," she scolded, "you were supposed to talk to him last night, not a half hour before he sees Princess Bijou!" Sir Oxnard shrugged. "I forgot," was his answer.  
Pepper finally said, "I want you to talk to him before he goes to see her. I'll be a grandmother in nine months." Prince Hamtaro inquired, "What do you mean by that?" Pepper looked at Sir Oxnard and said, "You haven't even told him how babies are made?" Sir Oxnard shook his head. "We need to right now," Pepper remarked, "otherwise, the princess might be disappointed." "Heke?" Prince Hamtaro questioned.  
After "the talk," Prince Hamtaro strapped his sword to his waist. "It's time," he said to his parents. "Oh, Hamtaro," Pepper cried as she hugged him. "I don't want you to leave home yet!" "He has to, honey," Sir Oxnard remarked. Pepper wiped away her tears and sniffled, "I know, Oxnard."  
Prince Hamtaro's parents followed him out side to his horse. "Hamtaro," Sir Oxnard told him, "I want you to win Princess Bijou's heart." Prince Hamtaro responded, "Thanks, Father." He climbed atop of his horse and said, "Let's go, Buttercup." His horse, Buttercup, started to trot down the dirt trail. "Win Princess Bijou's heart!" Sir Oxnard and Pepper shouted after Prince Hamtaro in unison.  
Buttercup trotted all the way to the Ham-Ham Kingdom. Prince Hamtaro saw the four guards, Sandy, Stan, Panda, and Cappy, in front of the drawbridge. The portcullis was down, avoiding any intruders that got past the four guards. "Hamha!" Prince Hamtaro shouted to the four guards. The four guards looked up and jumped when they saw it was Prince Hamtaro.  
"Prince Hamtaro!" Sandy gasped. "Uh," Panda mumbled. "What do you need?" Cappy questioned. "Do you need to see anyone?" Stan asked. "Heke?" Prince Hamtaro inquired. "I was here to see Princess Bijou. Is she gone?"  
Sandy shook her head. "Come on in, Prince Hamtaro," she said and beckoned him to come. Prince Hamtaro got off of Buttercup and followed the four guards to the portcullis. "Why do you got the gate thing down?" he queried. "Later," Stan replied quickly. "Snoozer! Raise the portcullis!"  
Snoozer stood up, still deep in sleep, and rotated the anchor that pulled up the portcullis. Prince Hamtaro followed the guards into the keep, the strongest tower where the bedrooms of the royal family were. They led him down a corridor and up a few flights of stairs. "Am I not going to see King Boss first?" Prince Hamtaro questioned. "Not now," Cappy rejoined hastily. Panda remarked, "He's taking a bath." "At noon?" he asked. "That's beside the point," Sandy acknowledged.  
Prince Hamtaro realized no other guards or any knights were at the kingdom at the moment. "Where are the guards and knights?" he inquired. Sandy, Stan, Panda, and Cappy acted as if they did not here the question. 


	16. The Story is Explained

The four guards led Prince Hamtaro to the doorway of Princess Bijou's bedroom, but Pashmina was in the way of it. Prince Hamtaro bowed and said, "May I pass?" "Didn't you hear about Lord Mike and Lady Stella?" Pashmina asked. "Wha?" he questioned. "The tax collectors that are evil? What do they have to do with me meeting the princess and king?"  
Sandy, Stan, Panda, and Cappy hit their heads with their paws as Pashmina told Prince Hamtaro the story. After she finished, Pashmina asked, "Did you think there was something wrong?" Prince Hamtaro nodded in reply. The guards looked at each other as Prince Hamtaro finally inquired, "May I see Princess Bijou?" "She," Pashmina replied, "doesn't want to see anyone other than me or Queen Caitlin until the king is back in the Ham-Ham Kingdom. You may talk to Queen Caitlin, though."  
Prince Hamtaro nodded and replied, "I fancy to see Queen Caitlin." Pashmina nodded and called, "Howdy! Dexter!" Howdy and Dexter replied to Pashmina's voice like they were right next to her. "Yes?" the two servants asked in unison. "Take Prince Hamtaro to Queen Caitlin," Pashmina ordered. Howdy and Dexter nodded and said, "Come now, Prince Hamtaro."  
Howdy and Dexter led him to the king and queen's bedroom. Queen Caitlin was inside the bedroom pacing and trying to figure out what to do. "Prince Hamtaro!" she shouted in terrified surprise. "I heard what happened already," he replied. "You have to stop those two tax collectors!" Queen Caitlin ordered. "Otherwise, the kingdom may be in jeapardy. And you'll never be able to marry Princess Bijou!"  
Prince Hamtaro stopped breathing and gasped, "I can't even see her if King Boss is not back?" Queen Caitlin shook her head and replied, "She won't come out of her room. My daughter is so sensitive to this stuff, like her father. Except that's beside the point. Just restore the Ham-Ham Kingdom!" He nodded and said, "Where do you think they are?"  
Queen Caitlin thought a minute and said, "The evil sorcerer, Spat-" "Spat Tower!" Prince Hamtaro shouted. "Thanks, Queen Caitlin." He bowed and ran out of the room. Prince Hamtaro ran to the drawbridge, but the portcullis was down again. Snoozer heard him and brought it up and let Prince Hamtaro pass through.  
Prince Hamtaro jumped atop of Buttercup and yelled, "Buttercup! Go down the path now!" Buttercup started to race down the dirt trail. Prince Hamtaro could barely hold on as she stopped suddenly and pawed the air. Prince Hamtaro fell off of her when Buttercup's back legs went into the air. "Augh!" he yelled as he landed on his back. "Thanks," Prince Hamtaro retorted. 


	17. At Spat Tower

At Spat Tower...  
  
The guard in the gatehouse looked from the window of the gatehouse and watched for the carriage the Bad Hams' horses. When he saw the carriage and the horses, the guard let the drawbridge down and brought up the portcullis. After the horses were in Spat Tower, he withdrew the drawbridge and put down the portcullis.  
After the carriage reached the stables, Spat opened the door of it. With him, he pulled King Boss out. Lord Mike and Lady Stella followed. "These are the stables," Spat acknowledged. "Oh yeah, just to let you know, I can still kill your wife and daughter, even when I'm not in the same building as them."  
Spat turned around and said, "So you might as well just do what I say." King Boss nodded reluctantly and followed him. Lord Mike and Lady Stella followed behind the two. "Well," Spat said, "you are royal, so I'll give you one of the bedrooms in the keep instead of the dungeon. But I have a bedroom where it locks from the outside."  
Spat led the way to the keep. He went down a few corridors and up several flights of stairs. Lady Stella tried to keep up with Spat as Lord Mike stared at King Boss's hand. He was filled with envy when he saw the bejewled rings on every finger. Lord Mike wiped his mouth to make sure he wasn't slobbering on himself. But the ring he wanted the most was King Boss's wedding ring, the one from Queen Caitlin.  
When Spat stopped, Lord Mike didn't. He walked into the wall, and it was then he realized Spat had stopped. He pulled out a key ring and found the key for the door. Spat found it, unlocked the door, and remarked, "This is a very fine place, surprisingly. It's just dusty because no one's been in here for...I don't know how long."  
Lord Mike's eyes were still on the bejeweled rings. Lady Stella nudged him in the ribs and whispered, "What are you looking at?" Lord Mike still did not answer Lady Stella. Spat looked over at them and asked, "Is there something wrong?" Lord Mike peered up from the rings and replied, "No, there isn't."  
Spat knew what Lord Mike was looking at. "You better watch out for your hand," he said to King Boss and pointed at his hand. King Boss looked at his hand and thought, This is just great. Spat opened the door and said, "Go ahead." King Boss looked inside, and, to his surprise, it was actually a very nice room. He walked inside, and Spat closed the door behind him and locked it.  
The bedroom wasn't as bad as King Boss thought. It had a bed that had a canopy and a dresser. The window was stained glass, but he wasn't too much willing to jump out of it. The room had a few candles that weren't lit. King Boss looked down at his paws again. "I'm gonna have to watch out for thieves while I'm not looking," he said to himself. He looked at his wedding band and realized it was the best looking ring of them all.  
The rest of King Boss's clothes were also very nice. He realized, too, he was going to have to look out for his cape that was red and had a cow pattern fur lining. It was also his crown that he had to watch out for. King Boss might have to look out for the shirt on his back it was so fine, too! 


	18. Prince Hamtaro Needs Princess Bijou

With Prince Hamtaro...  
  
Buttercup slowed down to a slow walk and finally stopped. Prince Hamtaro saw the knights of the Ham-Ham Kingdom at the side of the road with their horses eating the grass. The knights were around a big hole. Sir Jingle saw Prince Hamtaro on Buttercup and shouted, "Prince Hamtaro!"  
Prince Hamtaro got off of Buttercup and walked up to Sir Jingle. "Where are the guards?" he questioned. Sir Jingle pointed toward the hole. Inside it was a hole and it turned into a tunnel. "Why are you making a tunnel?" Prince Hamtaro inquired. "Are you going to tunnel into Spat Tower?" "Correct!" he replied. "But wouldn't you have better-" he started, but Sir Jingle shushed him. "Shh," he said. "Who's expert here?" Prince Hamtaro replied, "You, but-" "Exactly," Sir Jingle retorted and turned back around.  
Prince Hamtaro sighed and got back on Buttercup. "I'm going to Spat Tower and getting in through the gate," he said to himself. "But the guard's probably smarter than that. Most guards let beautiful girls through all of the time, no matter if they're even bringing a guy and are the opponent."  
It then struck Prince Hamtaro. "I need to get Princess Bijou!" he yelled. "Buttercup! Turn back around! We're going to get Princess Bijou!" Buttercup turned around and ran as fast as she was going previously.  
  
With King Boss...  
  
King Boss paced the bedroom and thought. He sighed and knew that Prince Hamtaro was at the Ham-Ham Kingdom. "What will he think?" he mumbled to himself. King Boss stopped pacing and laid down on the bed. "Nothing beats a good nap to regenerate the mind and soul," he said to himself and fell asleep.  
After a few minutes of being asleep, the door creaked open. Lord Mike snuck into the room and found him asleep. "Perfect," he whispered and walked into the room. Lord Mike stuck a board in the door so it didn't close and lock him in the room. He tip-toed to the bed and said, "Now, where's his paws?"  
Lord Mike reached underneath King Boss, who was still asleep, and found his paw. He grinned his toothy, eternal grin as he found the wedding band. "Stop that now," a voice said from the doorway.  
Spat was in the doorway. Lord Mike yelled, "Why are you trying to stop me?!" King Boss woke immediately. He looked at his paws and was relieved that the tax collector hadn't taken any of the rings he had on his fingers.  
"It's just wrong to steal," Spat replied. Lord Mike steamed as he walked out of the room. Spat looked back at King Boss and winked. He then closed the door and locked it again.  
"That guy has something for me or something," King Boss told himself. "Hmm...and I don't like that too much. But at least I didn't get robbed..." He looked down again at his paws and made sure he didn't overlook a missing ring. After assuring himself that Lord Mike wouldn't be back to try to rob him again, King Boss fell back asleep.  
But Lord Mike hadn't given up. He was back again as soon as he knew that the king was in deep sleep. "Now it's time to get that ring for me," he whispered. Lord Mike put the board back in the door and walked in. "Hopefully Spat won't see me stealing," Lord Mike spat.  
Lord Mike again found the wedding band and plucked it off of the king's finger. He also took a ring with a topaz in the center and an emerald ring. Lord Mike looked the three rings over and again. He grinned his toothy, eternal grin and tip-toed out of the room. Lord Mike removed the board from the door and locked the door again. 


	19. Getting Past the Royal Guards

With Prince Hamtaro...  
  
Prince Hamtaro rode on Buttercup to the front of the Ham-Ham Kingdom. When Sandy, Stan, Panda, and Cappy saw him, they were shocked. "What are you doing back?" Panda asked. "I wish to go inside," was all Prince Hamtaro said.  
After getting into the keep, Prince Hamtaro made it to Princess Bijou's bedroom. Pashmina was still in front of it. "I'm sorry, Prince-" she started, but Prince Hamtaro interrupted, "I need to meet Princess Bijou before I can restore the Ham-Ham Kingdom."  
Pashmina nodded and knocked on the door. "Prince Hamtaro is going to meet you," she said and opened the door. Prince Hamtaro walked in. Princess Bijou had been crying into the pillow on her bed. She quickly wiped the tears away from her eyes and sniffled, "I am Princess Bijou."  
Prince Hamtaro bowed before her and said, "Princess Bijou, I am Prince Hamtaro. I am here to meet you and, supposedly, save the kingdom." He reached out his paw to her. "I'll help you up," he remarked. Princess Bijou giggled a little and held out her paw to him. Prince Hamtaro took it gingerly and helped her off of the bed. Afterward he kissed Princess Bijou's paw.  
Prince Hamtaro looked into her eyes and whispered, "I'm already deeply in love with you, Princess Bijou." She giggled and replied, "You are more cute in hamster than in my imagination." He blushed mildly and said, "I cannot save the kingdom on my own."  
Princess Bijou looked at him with large eyes and questioned, "Are you asking me to help you save my father's kingdom?" Prince Hamtaro nodded. "Oh my goodness!" she shouted. "I'd love to!"  
The two walked out of the bedroom together. "But how are we going to save the kingdom?" Princess Bijou asked. "You'll see," Prince Hamtaro replied. When Prince Hamtaro and Princess Bijou came to the portcullis, the guards demanded, "Stop!"  
Prince Hamtaro stopped suddenly. "What for?" he inquired. "Princess Bijou cannot go out of the kingdom!" Stan retorted. Princess Bijou hugged Prince Hamtaro and started crying. "I cannot help you save the kingdom!" she sobbed. "They won't let me out of this kingdom!"  
Stan continued, "We shan't let you out with Princess Bijou, especially if you're going to Spat Tower." Princess Bijou stopped crying and asked, "Spat Tower? Where's that?" "The evil sorcerer's tower, almost like the Ham-Ham Kingdom, but not as big or as powerful as this kingdom. And it's not a kingdom."  
Princess Bijou looked at Prince Hamtaro. He glanced at her and said, "Stan, the both of us have to go! I'm not going without Princess Bijou by my side! Plus, who would hurt a girl? And I think those guards in the gatehouse have a history of letting any girl through the gate."  
The guards thought a minute. Cappy said, "You have a point. But we can't risk it!" "Then I'm not going!" Prince Hamtaro said and turned around. The two started to walk back into the kingdom when Panda yelled, "I'll let you through if they won't!"  
After a few minutes, the guards finally let Princess Bijou go with Prince Hamtaro. Stan added before they went, "And, oh yeah, if Princess Bijou gets kidnapped, you're going in the dungeon unless you get her back." "Don't worry, Stan!" Sandy scolded.  
The portcullis was brought up, and Prince Hamtaro and Princess Bijou could pass. The two walked across the drawbridge and over to Buttercup. Prince Hamtaro got on her, and then he helped Princess Bijou up onto her. "Oh, Prince Hamtaro," she said dreamily.  
Buttercup reared, and Princess Bijou almost fell off her. Prince Hamtaro kicked Buttercup's ribs and yelled, "Buttercup! Run but under control!" She snorted and started at a fast pace. Princess Bijou held onto Prince Hamtaro so she wouldn't fall off.  
When Buttercup passed the guards and knights, who were still going to tunnel into Spat Tower, they didn't even look. "Tee hee," Princess Bijou giggled as Prince Hamtaro's horse went by them.  
After a few minutes, Buttercup arrived in front of Spat Tower. "Oh, I am so scared," Princess Bijou whispered to Prince Hamtaro. He nodded and went up to the moat. "Who are you?" a voice demanded from the gatehouse. Prince Hamtaro drew his sword and replied, "Prince Hamtaro and Princess Bijou!" "You aren't permitted to come in!" the voice replied. "Go now, and we won't have to shoot arrows at you!" "They have bows and arrows, too?" Prince Hamtaro questioned. "Hamtaro, they always have had bows," Princess Bijou remarked.  
Prince Hamtaro yelled to Buttercup, "Let's go to the back of the tower." Buttercup snorted again and trudged around Spat Tower. Prince Hamtaro realized to get in Spat Tower, they would have to climb up the side of the tower. "How are we going to climb this?" Princess Bijou inquired. "I don't truly know," Prince Hamtaro acknowledged. 


	20. Lord Mike and Spat

In Spat Tower...  
  
Lord Mike ran down the corridor and into the guest room where he and Lady Stella were staying temporarily. When he saw that Lady Stella wasn't in the room, Lord Mike rushed in and closed the door behind himself.  
After he thought no one was looking, Lord Mike pulled his loot out of his pocket. He looked at the wedding band and the two other rings. Lord Mike again wiped his mouth to make sure he wasn't slobbering over himself. He fit the rings on and mumbled, "They're so perfect. Who would want to lose these? Oh, well, losers never win." "What do you have there?" a voice said from inside the room.  
Lord Mike looked at the bed and realized Lady Stella had been watching him ever since he entered the room. He thrust his paws behind his back and replied, "My Lady Stella, I have nothing." Lady Stella nodded and said, "Yes, sure. Let me see!"  
Lord Mike walked over and held out his paws. Lady Stella looked carefully and remarked, "You stole them?" Lord Mike nodded slowly. "Wait until Spat sees them," she said. "He'll steal them from you!" Lord Mike questioned, "So that's why he didn't want me to steal them? So he could?"  
Lady Stella rejoined, "Of course. Did you not think that?" "No," Lord Mike griped. I'm not handing them over! he thought. Spat's not getting this!  
Lord Mike sighed and mumbled, "What am I going to have to do to keep him from getting these perfect rings?" "I truly don't know," Lady Stella replied. A sudden knock was heard from the door. Spat opened it slowly and questioned, "Am I intruding?"  
Lord Mike hastily thrust the three rings in his pocket before he turned around. "Spat," he said, "what in the world do you want?" "I want," Spat retorted, "what you've got in your pocket!" Lord Mike put his paw over his pocket and returned, "I haven't anything that would interest you."  
Spat sighed and replied, "I went in and those three rings I had my eye on are gone. You have them in that pocket." He held up his pitchfork and twirled it in the air. Spat closed his eyes and whispered something.  
As if it was an immediate reply, Lord Mike wrenched the three rings out of his pocket. "I'm not going to let you use your magic to get them!" he retorted. Spat grinned as he picked the rings up and held them in his paw. "Thank-Q," Spat said and walked out of the room.  
As soon as he was out of the room, Spat opened his paw. "Losers never win," he said under his breath. Spat suddenly got a great idea. "That'll be a way," he remarked to himself.  
Meanwhile, King Boss was just waking up from his nap. "Ugh, I didn't have a very pleasant dream," he mumbled. He looked down at his paws and turned pale. "My wedding ring!" King Boss yelled. "It's gone!"  
King Boss jumped up and looked around the bed. "They're not here," he said under his breath reluctantly. "How am I to get them back? That's my wedding band!" He laid back on the bed in despair. "There's not a possible way to get it back," King Boss muttered.  
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Spat opened the door hastily and asked, "Did Lord Mike rob you?" King Boss nodded and inquired, "Could you get my rings back for me?" Spat grinned and replied, "I've got your wedding band." "Really?" he questioned. Spat nodded and remarked, "I've got two other rings, too. Just hold out your paw."  
King Boss held out his paw toward Spat. Spat held out the three rings and put them back on the correct finger. "Now," he said afterward, "would you be so kind to give me something in return? That cape of yours would be good. Or a ring. Maybe your crown?" "NO!" King Boss shouted at him. "I'm not giving away that!"  
Spat snorted and retorted, "Suit yourself." He pointed his pitchfork toward him and said, "Lay down there." King Boss nodded slowly and laid on the bed. He held his breath as Spat touched his cape gingerly. "Such fine cloth," he mumbled. "And so fine feel." "Not so fast," a voice said from the door.  
Spat turned around and found Lord Mike at the doorway. "It's just wrong to steal," he returned sharply. Spat raced out of the room in a flash. Lord Mike spat and closed the door again.  
"I wonder what's going on?" King Boss questioned himself as he sat upward on the bed. He fixed his cape and crown. "That guy was probably going to take everything on me," King Boss muttered. "Probably even my shoes. Man, where would I get the same kind of shoes? These are hard to find." 


	21. Getting Inside Spat Tower

With Prince Hamtaro and Princess Bijou...  
  
Prince Hamtaro finally found a few stones that lead like a climbing wall. "Princess Bijou," he said. "I found a way up." Princess Bijou rushed to him and questioned, "But how will we get up?"  
Prince Hamtaro replied, "Just ride on the back of me." Princess Bijou blushed and inquired, "Like a piggyback?" He nodded and helped her onto him. Prince Hamtaro then turned toward the stones and started to climb them.  
After getting to the wall walk, Prince Hamtaro let Princess Bijou off of his back. She mildly blushed as she followed her prince on the wall walk. "Where do you think my father is?" Princess Bijou queried. "Most likely in the keep. I don't think they'd put him in the dungeon," Prince Hamtaro responded.  
Soon, Prince Hamtaro and Princess Bijou saw a few guards on the wall walk. "Oh my," she whispered as the two tried to sneak past them. But the guards saw Prince Hamtaro and Princess Bijou when they saw the princess's crown shine in the sunlight.  
"Stop!" the guards yelled. Princess Bijou clutched Prince Hamtaro's arm when the guards paced around them slowly. "Leave us alone, or at least the princess," he remarked. The guards drew the swords and demanded, "Start moving."  
Prince Hamtaro and Princess Bijou looked at each other. Prince Hamtaro drew his sword and retorted, "I wish to see Lord Mike." The guards glared at him and desired, "What do you have with him?" "I have a problem with what he's done!" Prince Hamtaro shouted.  
The guards nodded and replied, "Come." Princess Bijou hugged Prince Hamtaro's arm as they entered the tower. "Wait here," the guards demanded as they went to find Lord Mike. Prince Hamtaro suddenly saw something in the darkness of the room. He drew his sword and yelled, "Come out!"  
Princess Bijou screamed when she saw the one lurking in the darkness. It was Spat. "So," he said, "you got in the tower?" Prince Hamtaro nodded and yelled, "All I wanted was to marry Princess Bijou!" A voice in the shadows demanded, "And I wanted the kingdom." 


	22. Lord Mike Lied

Lord Mike stepped out of the darkness. Beside him was Lady Stella. "Why do you want the kingdom?" Princess Bijou demanded. "Child," Lord Mike retorted, "I literally lied about those favors. I made most of them up. But I did lend the horse. Your father, King Boss, is just as much as a dunce as I thought he was."  
Princess Bijou got in his face and yelled, "My father is not a dolt! He may be a bit gullible, but who said you could come and bully him around!" Mike spat and replied, "Child, I said I lied about the favors. I just want the kingdom. And there's nothing you can do about it."  
Prince Hamtaro stepped in front of Princess Bijou and yelled, "Oh, really? Watch this!" He got down on his knee in front of Princess Bijou and said, "I know we just met and all, but I'm deeply in love-"  
Spat knocked Prince Hamtaro back on the ground with his pitchfork. "You can't propose to the princess without the king!" he scolded. "You have to do it in front of the king!"  
Prince Hamtaro sighed and remarked, "I forgot about that." Spat then demanded, "Guards, take him to the dungeon! Leave the princess with me." Princess Bijou gasped and cried, "No! Prince Hamtaro! Save me!"  
The guards apprehended Prince Hamtaro. As they held onto Prince Hamtaro, Spat seized Princess Bijou by the arm and dragged her out of the room. "Prince Hamtaro!" she screamed as he continued to drag her out of the room. Lord Mike and Lady Stella left casually behind Spat.  
Prince Hamtaro struggled to wrench from the guards' grip, but their grip was everlasting. They dragged him out of the room and toward the dungeon. When they got in front of the dugeon, Prince Hamtaro gave one more, unexpected pull. He got free from the guards' grip and ran as fast as he'd ever run before.  
  
Meanwhile...  
  
Pashmina ran out to the guards, Sandy, Stan, Panda, and Cappy. "Where's Princess Bijou?" she asked frantically. Cappy answered, "She went with Prince Hamtaro to rescue the kingdom!" The maid nearly fainted when she heard the answer.  
"Why?!" Pashmina demanded. "Love and romance," Stan replied. "Stan!" Sandy scolded. "You were the one who wouldn't let them out!" Stan laughed and questioned, "Did I? I thought that was Panda."  
Panda muttered a few curses under his breath. "I didn't. YOU did," he retorted. "Whatever," Stan replied cooly. Pashmina sighed and went back inside the Ham-Ham Kingdom. 


	23. Princess Bijou is in Trouble

With Prince Hamtaro...  
  
"I can't let this happen!" Prince Hamtaro said to himself as he ran. He ran around and finally found the Great Hall. Prince Hamtaro glanced around and tried to find a staircase. "This is the keep," he muttered, "but the very bottom of it."  
Meanwhile, at the top of the keep, Spat carried Princess Bijou to the door of the room King Boss was locked in. Lord Mike and Lady Stella followed casually behind Spat. Princess Bijou had been sobbing the whole way.  
Spat rapped the door with his pitchfork boisterously. He carefully took the ring of keys out of his pocket. When he found the right key and unlocked the door, Spat kicked the door open. King Boss took this by surprise and jumped. But when Spat dragged Princess Bijou in the room, he yelled, "Bijou?! What are you doing here?!"  
Princess Bijou rested on the floor and bowed her head. "I came with Prince Hamtaro," she replied solemnly. King Boss stared at her blankly. "Y-yo-you c-came wit-with Pr-Prince Ham-Hamtaro?" he stuttered. The princess nodded slowly. "D-do yo-you know wh-wh-where he i-is?" King Boss questioned still stuttering.  
Spat jumped in on the conversation and returned, "He's in the dungeon because I told my guards to!" King Boss looked at his daughter and inquired, "Do you know what you've done to him?" Princess Bijou shuttered and thought about her prince. She nodded slowly and began to sob again.  
King Boss walked over to her and put his arm around her shoulders. "It's not all your fault, Bijou," he whispered. "It's also my fault. If I had just paid back those favors that I don't even remember-"  
Lord Mike yelled, "Didn't you know I lied?! Please, everyone! I LIED! But it's too late now." Lady Stella nudged him and scolded, "You're not supposed to say until you have the kingdom!" Spat remarked, "Don't worry. Once I'm finished with this girl, you'll have the kingdom."  
Princess Bijou looked up at him. "What do you mean?" she questioned. Spat grinned and seized her paw. He lifted her up to her feet and got down on his knee. Spat blushed mildly and said, "Princess Bijou, I confess my love for you. Will you marry me?"  
King Boss yelled, "No! I say no!" Spat glared at him and shouted, "This time it's the princess's choice!" Spat closed his eyes and held Princess Bijou's paw. She wrenched her paw from his and slapped him. Spat fell backward onto the ground. "NO!" Princess Bijou returned sharply. "I love Prince Hamtaro!"  
Spat picked up his pitchfork and scolded, "How rude of you to refuse me! You can't get any ruder than that, child!" Lord Mike glared at Spat and muttered, "I thought you were-" "Be quiet, everyone!" Spat demanded.  
Lord Mike got in his face and shouted, "No one tells me to be quiet!" Spat replied quietly, "I'm sorry, Lord Mike." He turned back around toward the flaming mad Princess Bijou and yelled, "You'll marry me whether anyone says so or not!"  
King Boss retorted, "No one's marrying her except Prince Hamtaro!" "I just said I don't care!" Spat scolded. He picked Princess Bijou up and pointed his pitchfork toward the king. "I don't care!" Spat yelled as he backed up out of the room.  
King Boss tried to get out of the room to follow Spat, but Lord Mike and Lady Stella blocked the doorway. Princess Bijou screamed, "Father! Save me!" Spat then started to use his wings to fly. "I don't fly real well without anyone else, but now it's harder!" he shouted. 


	24. Prince Hamtaro and Lord Mike Begin Their...

Meanwhile...  
  
Prince Hamtaro continued to pace around the Great Hall. He couldn't find the staircase. "This is hopeless," he muttered. "I can't even find the staircase. Who ever said I was a hero, anyways?"  
Prince Hamtaro perked up his ears and heard something coming down the staircase. He looked behind the big table in the Great Hall and saw a doorway. "I thought that was the one I came through," Prince Hamtaro mumbled and looked across the Hall. There was an identical doorway, but it led outside the keep.  
When he listened hard enough, Prince Hamtaro could hear soft sobbing noises from the stairwell. He hid under the table and waited. "Princess Bijou," Prince Hamtaro whispered as Spat came out of the doorway.  
"Princess Bijou," Spat said as he exited the doorway, "I plead you stop crying." Princess Bijou glared at him and demanded, "I plead you let me down!" Prince Hamtaro jumped out from underneath the table and said, "And I do, too!"  
"Prince Hamtaro?!" Spat said as he backed up against the wall of the Great Hall. He dropped Princess Bijou onto the ground, and she ran to Prince Hamtaro. "I never thought I'd see you again," Princess Bijou whispered. Prince Hamtaro drew his sword and pointed it toward Spat.  
Spat sneered at him and retorted, "I don't use swords. I use my pitchfork." "No need to waste your energy," said a voice from the doorway from the stairs. Lord Mike emerged from the door with his sword drawn and Lady Stella trailing behind him.  
Prince Hamtaro stood in front of Princess Bijou and yelled, "I challenge you to a sword fight! And if I win, we get the king back and the kingdom!" "And if I win," Lord Mike retorted, "I get the kingdom all for myself!"  
Princess Bijou stepped a few steps away from Prince Hamtaro. "Do what you need to save the Ham-Ham Kingdom," she whispered as Spat levitated in the air near Lord Mike. "Start the sword duel!" he shouted as Prince Hamtaro and Lord Mike's swords pointed toward each other. "Prepare to lose, Prince Hamtaro," Lord Mike stated. "You wish," the prince returned sharply as they began the sword duel.  
The sword duel went on for awhile without any progress. Any blow was blocked, and Prince Hamtaro and Lord Mike kept at it. Princess Bijou watched her prince as he dueled with Lord Mike. She glanced toward the stairs and dashed for them. Spat followed her as she rushed up the stairs. 


	25. Princess Bijou and King Boss Escape

When Princess Bijou got to the room King Boss was in, she kicked it and tried to wrench open the doornob. Spat flew up behind her and pointed his pitchfork in her direction. "You'll never win," Spat remarked. "In your dreams," Princess Bijou returned as she seized his pitchfork.  
"Let my pitchfork go!" Spat demanded as he tried to wrench it from the princess's grip. She wrested him down to the ground and reached for the key ring in his pocket. Spat tried to keep her from getting the key ring but held onto his pitchfork as Princess Bijou snatched the key ring.  
After getting the key ring, Princess Bijou chose the key for the door and unlocked the door. "Father!" she shouted as she opened the door. King Boss jumped and ran to her. "I thought I lost you," he stated as he hugged his daughter. "Prince Hamtaro! He's in a sword duel, Father!" Princess Bijou panicked. "You've got to help him!"  
King Boss nodded and said, "Let's get goin' before it's too late." "Not so fast!" Spat yelled as he jumped in front of the stairs. "You're not going anywhere until-" "Oh, shut up!" King Boss demanded. "Heck, already!" "Heck? That's so twentieth century," Spat retorted.  
Spat continued, "You're in the seventeenth century, dolt. Did you not know that?" King Boss whispered to Princess Bijou, "Let's get going before he realizes it." The father and daughter slipped past Spat as quick as a fish out of water.  
Meanwhile, Prince Hamtaro's sword was knocked out of his paws. It landed under the table in the Great Hall. "Out of luck, aren't you, Prince Hamtaro?" Lord Mike retorted. He withdrew his sword and said, "Let's do this my way."  
Lord Mike took his sword cane and came up to Prince Hamtaro hastily. He knocked Prince Hamtaro back with the sword cane and inquired, "How do you like that?" Prince Hamtaro replied as he sat upward, "I don't."  
Lord Mike knocked him back again before Prince Hamtaro realized it. Lord Mike wouldn't even let Prince Hamtaro sit up this time. He continued to beat the prince with the sword cane until Prince Hamtaro reached the table in the Great Hall. He grasped his sword and pointed it toward Lord Mike. Lord Mike retreated and drew his sword again. 


	26. Prince Hamtaro Pretty Much Saved the Day

The sword duel continued until a voice said, "Stop!" Prince Hamtaro and Lord Mike looked at the doorway leading from outside the keep and, sure enough, there were Sandy, Stan, Panda, and Cappy standing there.  
"What are they doing here?" Lord Mike demanded. He backed up and rushed to where Lady Stella stood. "I haven't said one thing during this whole part," she mumbled. "That doesn't matter right now! Let's run!" Lord Mike yelled as he and Lady Stella ran up the staircase.  
"Follow them, guards!" Stan yelled. Prince Hamtaro led the guards as they chased the two tax collectors up the staircase. Once at the top of it, Lord Mike and Lady Stella ran at top speed through the corridor.  
"They're not gonna get us!" Lady Stella shouted as she and Lord Mike continued down the hallway. Smash! The two crashed into King Boss and Princess Bijou. After crashing into them, Spat came flying down the corridor. "There you two are!" he scolded as he looked foward. "Oh no."  
Prince Hamtaro and the four guards were standing in front of him. Lord Mike, Lady Stella, and Spat backed up against a window and shouted, "You won't ever get us!" Prince Hamtaro helped King Boss and Princess Bijou back up. Prince Hamtaro then went up to Lord Mike, Lady Stella, and Spat and said, "This was a nice adventure. Now it's over."  
Spat yelled, "Oh, no, it's not!" He broke the window and ordered, "Get on me, you two!" Lord Mike and Lady Stella jumped onto his back as he began to pathetically fly away from Spat Tower.  
"Yay!" Prince Hamtaro gleefully shouted as he jumped up. "We've defeated those tax collectors and that sorcerer!" "No, Prince Hamtaro," Sandy interrupted. "You defeated them." "Yes, you did," King Boss agreed. "My prince," Princess Bijou said as she hugged him tightly. "I love you."  
Prince Hamtaro then got down on one knee and said, "I know we've just met, but there's something about you that makes my heart pound. You're my one and only destany. Will you marry me?" Princess Bijou quickly looked toward King Boss and questioned, "Well, can I? I wish to marry Prince Hamtaro!"  
King Boss glanced toward Prince Hamtaro hastily and hugged his daughter. "Yes, you may," he replied. Princess Bijou turned back toward Prince Hamtaro and held his paw. "I will," she replied dreamily.  
The guards looked at each other with happiness in their eyes. "Well," Panda said, "let's get back to the kingdom!" "OK," Cappy replied as the group went down the stairs and out of Spat Tower. 


	27. The End of the Sixteen Hundreds

At eight o'clock that night at the Ham-Ham Kingdom...  
  
The wedding started for Prince Hamtaro and Princess Bijou at exactly eight o'clock. After a long talk, Pastor Maxwell asked, "Prince Hamtaro, do you wish to take Princess Bijou here as your wife?" "I do," Prince Hamtaro replied happily. "And, Princess Bijou," he continued, "do you wish to take Prince Hamtaro here as your husband?" "I do," Princess Bijou responded blissfully.  
"Now you may give Princess Bijou the ring," Pastor Maxwell remarked. Penelope gave Prince Hamtaro the ring, and he put the ring on Princess Bijou's finger. "Now you may kiss the wife," Pastor Maxwell concluded.  
Prince Hamtaro gingerly kissed Princess Bijou on the lips and stated, "I'll love you forever." "And I, too," Princess Bijou replied as they kissed again but longer.  
King Boss looked at Queen Caitlin and remarked, "Caitlin, I can't stand it. I'm about to cry!" "Me, too, honey," Queen Caitlin replied as they hugged each other. "This reminds me of our wedding, Caitlin," King Boss noted. "Me, too, Boss," she responded.  
Sir Oxnard glanced at Pepper and said, "I think our little Prince Hamtaro has done something good." "Yeah, honey," Pepper answered as they hugged each other.  
Prince Hamtaro and Princess Bijou peered into each other's eyes. "Hamtaro," Princess Bijou remarked. "I hope we live happily ever after."  
  
AND THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER.  
  
Meanwhile...  
  
Spat landed on the ground on the moutainside. "Why did you take us all of the way out here?" Lord Mike demanded. "So they don't catch us," Lady Stella replied. "This stinks!" Lord Mike yelled. "I didn't get the Ham-Ham Kingdom! I wanna go home to my own time!" "OK, if you insist," Spat replied as he spun his pitchfork.  
  
In the morning in the present...  
  
Hamtaro woke up in his sleephouse. Where am I? he thought as he sat upward. "Huh? What am I wearing?" Hamtaro shouted as he jumped upward. Hamtaro was wearing a blue, silk shirt and black pants with a cape. He had a sword cane with a real sword in it strapped to his waist. "I better get to the clubhouse!" Hamtaro shouted as he exited his carrier and went down the drainpipe.  
When he got to the clubhouse, all of the Ham-Hams were there. "What are you all wearing?" Hamtaro shouted as he entered the clubhouse. "Me and Dexter are wearin' servant suits!" Howdy complained. "I woke up in a queen's gown," Caitlin acknowledged.  
The Ham-Hams went on about what they woke up in. "Well, Ham-Hams," Hamtaro remarked. "At least we're back in our own time."  
  
THE END OF THE PAST 


End file.
